Zach Parise Turned Into Perfect Signing For Minnesota Wild

By Andy Schmidt

Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports

The Minnesota Wild made a huge move before this season began when they went out and gave Zach Parise a huge free agent contract. Parise did his part to fulfill the deal, scoring 18 goals and adding 20 assists in helping Minnesota to the playoffs. As the offseason gets underway, it is time to think about if there is any way for Parise to be better next year.

It will definitely help that he has a year under his belt with the Wild, and the combination of himself and Ryan Suter will lead Minnesota to big things. I’m fearful about the amount of money that the team spent to get those two players, but you aren’t going to get two better players than them in free agency. I have to think that Parise could find a way to average a point a game next season for the Wild. If he can do that, I believe we could be seeing a Minnesota team that makes the playoffs without any problems at all.

There will always be fear about a player getting a long-term deal and the ramifications of that. Parise is showing so far that it isn’t a big deal for him. The next decade may tell a different story, but I don’t see that happening. The talent of the 28-year-old will make his contract seem just about right when all is said and done. The Wild may have overpaid in the end for Parise’s services, but the things he is about to do for the team will make it all worthwhile. This could be a team trending towards a Stanley Cup.

Andy Schmidt is a columnist/writer for RantSports. Follow him on Twitter @ASchmidtSports, like his Facebook page or add him to your network on Google.